"Sooo… no way to snap that 'soul magic' contract thing off him?"

"Not unless we know the actual contents of it, Jade," Lotte replied, calm.

I slumped at that. So much for my grand plan to finally uncover some juicy soul magic secrets and maybe get Lotte to help untangle whatever mess they've bound Thibault in. But nope. Nada.

And Lotte clearly knew more than she was letting on—but wasn't in a hurry to spill it. Which only meant one thing… I'd have to figure it out the hard way. As always. The "trial-by-chaos" method that had somehow become my signature move.

No shortcuts. No immediate solutions. Ugh. Typical.

So I just plopped down next to Lotte and let the rare moment of peace settle around us. I wanted Lotte to call Alice and Belle over, just to regroup, but Lotte had warned me against it. Said they were tied up with something important, and yanking them into this space would freeze them in place—hidden or not, it wasn't the right time.

Which, of course, made my brain spiral: What are they even up to? If I had to guess, probably another one of those elf-issued reconnaissance jobs Alice hinted at earlier. Something sneaky to scope out the aftermath of all this mess.

Maybe both of them were smack in the middle of it.

…And I was stuck here with scraps of information and way too many questions.

"Don't you think you're pushing yourself too hard, little hatchling?" Lotte's voice rippled through my head like a warm gust.

"Pushing? How so?" I shot back, defensive.

"You crave answers now. Control now. Knowing full well the universe doesn't kowtow to impatience. Breathe. Map your own power before trying to conquer realms. And that soul magic..." Her hood turned slightly in my direction, graceful and looming. "I see a golden thread ahead of you, glowing bright—but fleeting. Blink, and you might miss it. So when your sliver of chance arrives? Be razor-sharp."

I gave a tight nod. "Count on it!" She wasn't wrong. Just infuriatingly right.

The intel would surface. That's the dance, isn't it? I'd already seeded the field, planted my little watchers. Once Lysska slithered back, I'd have fresh bait for her cunning mind. Hell, she might already be gnawing on a bone I hadn't even smelled.

I turned to Lotte, "There has to be more to this elf movement. The whole region's stirred up, and the Vor'akhs throwing in with them? That doesn't track. These guys consider the elves their archnemesis—they'd rather eat shit than team up. So why the sudden alliance? It has to be more than terrorism for terrorism's sake.

"I'm not accusing Varkaigrad itself, but maybe… some nobles or local power players here did something. Something so bad the Vor'akhs decided it was worth siding with sworn enemies to settle the score. That whole 'unity of Varkaigrad' line? Feels like weak sauce when you consider they were trying to open a damn Hellgate and summon a low platinum-tier monster."

Lotte offered one of her fathomless smiles. The kind that says you've brushed against the venomous truth.

"You might be scratching at the rot, hatchling. Rarely is it about clean right or wrong. The world's more a vast, moral murk. No grand faction stays pristine—not when it must corral entire populations. But hand the masses a convenient demon, a spectacular villain to despise? Suddenly, all your own festering sins get neatly swept beneath the rug. They emerge spotless. Sanctified. Untouchable."

She paused. "Is that the game here? Can't say for certain. But it's a poison worth keeping on your tongue. Remember the taste."

I gave Lotte's words a solid nod. Yeah, that was definitely something worth digging my claws into. Before turning my snout towards the outside world, I stole a quick glance inward. Maybe, just maybe, the heat we were catching from Vor'akh had a scrap of legitimacy buried in the bullshit. Didn't mean I was gonna forgive their dragon-damn actions, mind you. Settling scores is a two-party tango: the screw-up and the screwed-over. Drag innocent bystanders into the pit? That's not messy territory, that's a straight-up dick move. Punishment territory. And pay they fucking would – I'd make damn sure of that claw and fang.

My gaze dropped to my own scaled hide. Bigger dragon now. Way more power thrumming under the plates. Finally strong enough to grab my own fate with both claws without it being a suicide pact. And hell, this wasn't even my peak. Still mountains to climb, oceans of power to drink. So much more growing to fucking do.

"About that spellbook prize you snagged," Lotte's voice pinged inside my skull. "Hand it over for a bit."

My brow ridges slammed down. "Why? What's the angle?"

"Angle is your convenience, foolish hatchling," she amended. "I'll attempt weaving it into your system's fabric. Spare you the spectacle of summoning that monolithic tome every time you crave a spell."

Monolithic? …Oh. Right. The damn thing literally pancaked me flat back in Xaleth's trial when it dropped as a reward. Honestly? It never crossed my mind that summoning it now would mean wrestling a literal hillside. Fair enough, I guess – been kinda busy. But seriously, thank fuck for Thalador I never tried it on a whim! Who the scaly hell gifts someone a spellbook the size of a small mountain?! Dragons, ugh. Their sense of humor needed a serious recalibration.

Speaking of dragons… Lotte was one. Maybe she could shed light on that weird shit I overheard between Xaleth and Vesryn. UK? That was the place, right? Something about integrating into the World Tree. And someone called… the Myriad Dragon? Weird name.

"That particular tangle isn't your concern yet, Jade," Lotte cut in, effortlessly reading my mental leap. "You've got juicier prey to sink your fangs into. Let that thread… ferment. I might spill tales of Xaleth, Vesryn, even the Myriad Dragon—someday. But right now? That knowledge is a blade without a handle. Useless. Dangerous. Eventually, yes, you'll wander into that particular snare. For now? Focus."

"So you do know them?" I pressed, my tail betraying my interest with rhythmic thumps against the grass. She said I didn't need to know—but curiosity is a hungry beast. It doesn't wait for invitations.

"I know every scaled soul that's ever drawn breath, little hatchling," Lotte purred, a dark velvet sound. "Intimately. Profoundly."

Oooh. "Did you guide them all too? Crash rent-free in their dreams like you're squatting in mine?" My excitement fizzed. Lotte's presence was mostly a giant, scaly question mark.

One thing felt solid, though: her touch on the real world started feather-light, barely there. But as I grew? So did her presence. Felt less like a dream-ghost, more… there. Solid. Hard to pin down the feeling, but… I loved it. She felt more… anchored. Maybe… to me. The feeling was strange, warm, undeniable. I trusted her. More than anyone else in this whole damned world.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Lotte just snorted at my question. "Oh, they wished they warranted such attention. My influence in their grand sagas was… significantly more remote than it is with you."

I kept grilling her, of course. Pushed harder. But it quickly dissolved into her usual cryptic word-salad – dodging with terrible metaphors and tossing out fancy-ass vocabulary she knew I didn't understand, purely to piss me off. It worked.

Clever damn lizard. Played me like a fiddle. Again.

But first, I looked inward—trying to chase that weird spark I'd felt when I first got the spellbook. That pull. I followed it again, and—there it was. A sharp little ting behind my eyes. I didn't resist.

Aaaaand just like that… a hill-sized book popped into existence. Right above me.

I yelped, scrambled sideways like a startled lizard—which, okay, fair—but then remembered: Dreamscape. Lotte's turf. Pain's basically optional here, unless the scaly landlady feels bitchy. Sure enough, the monstrous book just… floated. Pages started flipping like giant sails in a hurricane as Lotte's village-sized eyeballs scanned the damn thing.

Didn't stop the hot spike of pure pissed-off jabbing my brain, though. Would that colossal paperweight have pancaked me again if I'd summoned it while awake? Thalador's sweaty balls, I already hated Xaleth!

"Should be manageable," Lotte murmured, her attention still riveted to the floating monolith. "Leave it to simmer with me… you might find a new category blooming on your status screen shortly."

I eyed the floating tome suspiciously. "Should I be worried about any other 'hilarious' surprises tucked in there? Hidden spike traps? Page-sized landmines?"

Lotte's chuckle vibrated the dream-air. "Doubtful. Xaleth was always one to… match his peers' energy. Perhaps your particular brand of audacity struck him as deserving of a… memorable delivery."

"GETTING CRUSHED BY A HILL-SIZED BOOK ISN'T COMEDY, LOTTE! IT'S ATTEMPTED MURDER!"

"Oh, simmer down, hatchling," she sighed, finally glancing down. "I suspect you chronically underestimate the sheer, stubborn resilience packed into your scaled hide. It'd bruise your ego way worse than your hide."

"…Fine. Maybe," I grumbled, not entirely convinced. My ego was pretty tender lately.

Right. Back to the messy waking world. "Gotta bail. Vyra and Viper are probably doing that twitchy 'where's Jade' dance by now. So… ditch the truth serum plan. Just… dance around questions? See if Thibault's contract lets him wiggle answers out without tripping the magical tripwires?"

"Precisely," Lotte affirmed. "Don't grow reliant on blunt instruments. Learn the subtle art of coaxing secrets from mortal minds. Like draining venom, drop by drop."

I scowled, my tail giving an irritated thump on the dream-grass. "Feels like my brain wasn't wired for that sneaky bullshit!"

"Then delegate," she countered smoothly. "Use your assets. You do have allies now, don't you? Leverage them."

"Well… the only one I know who's actually good at that kind of thing is Lysska. And I don't know when she's coming back. By the time she does, Thibault'll have fully regrown his limbs! Ugh!"

Lotte just laughed at my pain.

I glared. "What's so funny?"

"Why not just… tear them off again?" she said, all innocent-like.

***

Morning had technically arrived, though you wouldn't know it by looking. The sky was choked with clouds, the fog clung to everything like wet cling wrap, and the whole world felt cold and gray.

I didn't feel the cold personally, but Zoran and Viper? Yeah, they were definitely suffering. Vyra less so. Viper was trying to pretend otherwise—standing all proud and defiant—but he couldn't quite hide the subtle shivers. We'd all been huddled by the fire when the attack hit, so it wasn't like any of us had layered up in proper winter gear. And neither of them had hit red core yet, hadn't gone through the fun little Body Reconstruction upgrade. Which meant winter hit them like a sledgehammer.

I scanned the fog-drenched area until I spotted some dry wood tucked under a fallen branch. I was out here gathering firewood for them—not that I minded. After my little dream chat with Lotte and her very casual suggestion to keep Thibault's limbs off… well, no one protested much. Everyone understood what a red core could do. Dangerous was an understatement.

So yeah. I tore off his freshly regrowing limbs again—they were about halfway there—and gave him a solid whack to the head for good measure. Out like a light. Then I made up some excuse about tossing the limbs outside and collecting firewood.

Which I did. Just also took a quick snack break on the side. Fresh regenerating limbs were delicious. A real treat. Bliss.

As for the questioning? Postponed. No one wanted to risk it going sideways. We'd wait for Lysska. She was built for this kind of thing, and none of us wanted to screw it up by going in blind. So until she returned, Thibault stayed unconscious, limbless, and out of the loop.

And now that I finally had a moment to breathe, I brought up my stat screen.

Name: Jade Level: 7 Species: Quantum Arbiter (Draconis) (V)

Alignment: Judgement (Lightning), Freedom (Dark)

Attributes:

Strength: 559

Durability: 381

Intelligence: 724

Willpower: 376

Mana Points (MP): 693/693

Dark Mana Points (Wraith Heart): 100/100

Quantum Mana Points (Quantum Node): 200/200

Stamina Points (SP): 1281/1281

Abilities:

Mana Devourer

Distortion Cloak

Reality Gremlin Paradox

Quantum Attunement

Alignment Abilities (2/5):

Thunder Verdict

Court of Quantum Edicts

Species Skills:

Resonance Roar: Level 1 (II)

Reinforced Scales: Level 5 (II)

Advanced Flight: Level 4 (II)

Rich Respiration: Level 5 (II)

Breath of Shadows: Level 10 (II)(+)

Adaptive Grip: Level 3 (II)

Flame Jet: Level 4 (II)

Advanced Mana Manipulation: Level 8 (II)

Advanced Core Stabilization: Level 5 (II)

Constrict: Level 2 (I)

Exclusive Skills:

Transformation: Level 4 (I)

Quantum Affinity: Level 1 (I)

Quantum Spells (0/8):

Techniques (1/2):

Phantom Dragon Dance: Level 4 (I)

Mutations:

Eyes: Focusing Lenses, Peripheral Optimization (III)

Claws: Claw Flexibility, Razor-Edge Claws (III)

Scales: Colour Adaptation, Shock-Absorbent Scales (III)

Wings: Hollow Bones, Mana-Infused Fibers (III)

Legs: Joint Flexibility, Mana-Responsive Cartilage (III)

Fire Gland: Mana Reservoir, Mana Conservation (III)

Macro-Trophic Sac: Stamina Surge Reservoir, Toxicity Neutralizer (III)

Mana Conduit Vasculature: Micro-Mana Control, Mana Conduit Resilience (III)

Dimensional Lamina: Resonance-Stabilizing Membranes, Phase Microfilament Clusters (III)

Dimensional Convergence Tendrils: Reactive Tendrils, Refined Neural Pathways (III)

Quantum Nexus (I) (+0)

Resources:

Skill Points: 71

Morphogens: 408

My eyes widened.

Six levels?! Just from squashing those delver noobs?! That felt absurdly unfair. I could've wiped out a dozen more of them without breaking a sweat. But if I were to go claw-to-claw with a monster at my level? That'd be a whole different story. Even with my shiny advantages, I wasn't stupid enough to assume it'd be easy.

Honestly, the system really just shafted every humanoid species, huh?

I noticed a new section too—"Quantum Spells." Definitely hadn't been there before. That had Lotte's claws all over it. But before diving into that, I still had a backlog of notifications. Especially that one mission I'd accepted mid-chaos, back when that elf mutated into nightmare fuel. I hadn't even looked at the details—just slammed "Accept" and moved on because, well, I was a little preoccupied at that moment.

So, step one: Open that.

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